Each December, veteran stones across the world are adorned to commemorate the American heroes who selflessly served our country. The wreath-laying ceremonies are coordinated by the nonprofit, Wreaths Across America (WAA), with the mission to “Remember, Honor, and Teach.”

This year National Wreaths Across America Day falls on Saturday, November, 16th. Thousands of Americans will come together and honor all the soldiers who have given their lives for our country by placing wreaths on gravesites in over 3,400 participating locations across America.

Their mission is set out to Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom.

The History

The story is actually quite simple and started out as just one personal tribute. The Worcester family owned a tree farm in Maine, and in 1992, they ended up having a surplus of wreaths during the holiday season, and decided to place them beside graves in Arlington National Cemetery that didn’t seem to have frequent visitors.

Over the years, several volunteers stepped up to help, including veterans from American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts and a truck company who aided in the transportation of the wreaths to Arlington, Virginia, where a small ceremony was held each year at the cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This remained a small annual tradition for nearly 15 years until a photo taken in 2005 went viral. Almost immediately, thousands of people wanted to know how to help or how they could begin a similar tradition in their states.

Since then Wreaths Across America has grown tremendously bringing in thousands of participants and volunteers every year!

How to Participate

There are several ways to support our fallen veterans this Saturday. You can sponsor a wreath of your own that can be placed at any of the participating locations. You can participate as a volunteer with the making or distributing of the wreaths, or you can donate to a local sponsorship group. For more information on how to support this cause, click here.

There is no better time to express our appreciation than during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and show our veterans and their families that we will not forget.